One of our most popular articles last month was a preview of modular container homes by Toronto-based MEKA. The company planted a show house in the West Village area of New York City and the media took notice. Reporting for Reuters, Kilmeny Duchardt offered this video and short interview with Michael de Jong, one of the entrepreneurs behind the company.

Of all the beautiful homes in the most recent issue of Dwell, I must say this one made the greatest impression on me. In “Worth the Wait,” Amber Bravo writes about The Porter Cottage in Ragged Island, Maine. The self-sufficient home – roughly 480 square feet including a screen porch – is both off-pipe and off-grid and made with durable and green materials.

This is the fifth part of The Ultimate Modern Gift Guide for the Holidays 2010,* which is a curated list of goods for design-savvy folks interested in green innovation. This green gift guide has eight parts, which will be made available throughout the week. This part includes six, small, stylish, green structures that can be used in most any way — whether as a home office, writing cabin, mother-in-law, etc — except as limited by your creativity.

Blu Homes recently installed and completed this factory-built home for two professors in Long Island. It’s based on the Element line, which is basically the same model used to build this Rhode Island retreat that we mentioned previously. Maura McCarthy, co-founder of Blu Homes, told me in an email that steel frame construction helped the permitting process because the site is in a 120 mph wind zone near the ocean.

Toronto-based housing company MEKA — that is, modular, environmental, kinetic, assembly — made national headlines with the launch of small container homes this week. Seeking the ultimate trifecta of style, sustainability, and affordability, this start-up aims to produce “the most luxurious living spaces with a clean modern sensibility, at super affordable prices.”

Manitoba-based Conquest Manufacturing recently installed this three-module retreat on a serene hillside site in Crowsnest Pass, Alberta. The 1,050 square-foot cottage was built based on a design by Herbert Enns and features comprehesive mountain views and a view of the historic Frank Slide.